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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: trunk · can · rash · clip · mark · branch · bulb · rush

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. clip — to cut
  3. can — to be able to
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. branch — a division
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bulb — for light
  8. rash — a series
  9. clip — a video
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bulb — for light
  15. can — a tin
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rush — hurry
  19. mark — a grade
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. mark — a trace
  22. can — a tin
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. rush — to hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com